Bookmark It! You Hold A Spot In My Heart...
I don’t post more than 2 articles in one day, but with Mother’s Day just around the corner, I wanted you to be able to look at all of these ideas at once, and decide which ones, if any, you’d like to do with your students.
They were all huge hits with my Y5’s as well as the mommies. I set them up as independent centers and they did quite well.
Since they only take a brief amount of time you could actually do all of them and tuck them in the "Pocket Full of Love" or if you don't do that, simply put them in a lunch bag or their folder to tote home.
I find that “paper love” is just as much appreciated as anything else a child puts together.
After all, the above activities were made with TLC, used their skills, which included reading a story, (no small accomplishment!) used sign language to express their affection, serenaded them with a song, and now make a bookmark their mom will certainly find useful!
How cute is that?
Click on the link to view/download the MOM bookmark.
Finally, Where Are The Flowers, is an easy reader that reinforces spatial directions.
The last page deals with the word "behind". Behind the door is the message "Happy Mother's Day!" Making it a perfect "read-to-me" booklet for Mother's Day, truly a special gift for any mommy.
Click on the link to view/download Where Are The Flowers?
Do you have a Mother's Day idea you'd like to share? I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com OR...feel free to post a comment here, especially if you use one of my ideas.
Thanks in advance for taking the time. Feel free to PIN anything you think a parent or fellow teacher might find helpful as well.
I hope you can visit tomorrow for more teaching tips, 'til then take time for the 3 R's: Refresh, Relax, and Rejuvenate.
Monkey Business
Are a few of your students still struggling with skip counting, or are you teaching PK and decided to raise the bar and add a K standard to help out for next year while you still have some days left before school ends?
I’m always looking for fun ways to reinforce skip counting with kids, so I dreamed up “Barrel of Monkeys!”
There are traceable number cards for skip counting by 2’s, 3’s, 5’s and 10’s as well as counting by 1’s to 30 with, matching covers for each set so that students can make their own Itty Bitty booklets.
Make a large “teacher’s monkey” and laminate. Pass out your class set to the students and “feed the monkey” while you count whatever set you want to reinforce.
Play “I Have; Who Has?” and feed the monkey that way. i.e. “I have 2 who has 4, 6, 8?" etc.
Make class sets in a variety of colors. Children choose a partner.
Mix up the cards, but keep the packs separate. Each child flips over a card.
The one with the lowest card goes first and skip counts from that number ‘til the end. If they do it correctly they get both cards. i.e. if they flip a 4 and their partner flips an 8, they get to count 4,6,8,10 all the way to 40.
If they can do that, they get to keep their 4-card and their partner’s 8 card. If they can’t do it, their partner gets a turn to try it.
If they are successful they get the cards. Play continues ‘til all of the cards are gone.
You can also use them to play Concentration-Memory Match games.
Click on the link to view/download Barrel Of Fun Monkey cards.
A nice companion to this packet is the rhyming easy reader booklet Counting Monkeys, which includes a graphing extension, to reinforce yet another standard.
Click on the link to view/download Counting Monkeys.
Thanks for stopping by. Be sure and pop back tomorrow for more fun tips.
Do you have one you'd like to share? I'd enjoy hearing from you diane@teachwithme.com or feel free to leave a comment here, especially if you use one of my ideas. I really enjoy hearing from you.
It's OK to PIN anything you think will help another teacher or parent as well.
I hope these activities have your little monkeys having a barrel full of fun!
Do you need a silly story with manipulatives to review the life cycle of a butterfly to make sure your students have it down before you assess them? Or…
Would you like an interesting and fun way to assess the life cycle?
Read the story and have students “feed” the little old lady the story cards as they are talked about.
Later, give the life cycle cards to each student and have them feed her the cards as they explain the life cycle to you.
Click on the link to view/download The Little Old Lady That Swallowed A Life Cycle.
Scroll down for article #2 today: A culmination activity for your April Earth Day or recycling studies.
It's Keen To Go Green!
Do you need a quick and easy writing center?
Run off this “Love the earth” bookmark.
Students trace the words, fold the bookmark in half and glue it.
They write 3 things that they will do to reduce, reuse, and recycle to love their planet.
After everyone is done have them share their goals with their classmates.
This is a nice culmination activity for your recycling or Earth Day studies.
Click on the link to view/download Love the Earth bookmark.
I hope you can roll on over tomorrow for another quick teaching tip.
Do you have one you'd like to share? I'd enjoy hearing from you: diane@teachwithme.com or feel free to post a comment here, especially if you use one of my ideas.
Thanks for your time and for visiting!
Is It Or Isn't It.... Plural?
That question can be a bit confusing to some little ones. Do your students need some help with plurals?
Make it easier for them to understand, when they sort them into the plural and singular schoolhouses.
I’ve made over 100 traceable school-related word cards for singular and plural words.
Students sort the cards and then put them in the appropriate schoolhouse.
Make it a game by passing out the cards.
Play “I Have; Who Has?” i.e. “I have clock. Who has clocks?”
Students can also alphabetize the cards, as well as make an Itty Bitty ABC Plural Booklet with them.
There’s a card for each letter except Q. I could not think of a q item that I found at school, except for maybe a Q-tip as an art supply.
There's also a certificate of praise included.
Click on the link to view/download Plural Packet.
You may want to print the anchor chart that I designed with simple spelling rules for making words plural.
I made my poster “pop” by adding 3D butterflies. Simply print off the butterfly template.
Cut out the butterflies, bend the wings forward, put a stripe of glue down the thorax and press onto the middle of the other butterflies. They look like they are flying!
Click on the link to view/download Plural Spelling Tip Anchor Chart.
I hope these ideas will help your students have fun while they practice perfecting their plurals!
Do pop in tomorrow for more tips and feel free to PIN anything you feel might help parents or teachers.
Do you have an idea you’d like to share? I’d enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com or leave a comment here, especially if you use one of my ideas.
Thanks in advance for making the time to comment.
You’ll make my day!
